Predictors of Cigarette Smoking among Chinese Adults

Background: Tobacco use remains the largest preventable cause of mortality and morbidity with a significant economic burden in China. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of cigarette smoking among a sample of Chinese adults (n=710) and to examine predictors of cigarette smoking. Methods: A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of adults aged 18 years or older in China. Individuals who smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days were defined as smokers and considered as the study cohort. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to determine predictors of cigarette smoking for three outcomes: past 30-day use vs. no use, past 7-day use vs. no use, and past 24-hour use vs. no use. All statistical analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.2 statistical package. Results: More than half of the population had used a cigarette in the past month (56.16%), 54.97% in the past 7 days, and almost half of the population in the past 24 hours (49.28%). Significant predictors of smoking status included gender (male), marital status (married), employment status (employed), educational level (less than high school degree), exposure to tobacco advertisements through media (TV), peer pressure (smoke if cigarettes offered by others), intention to smoke (try smoking in the next year), and a previous experience to use tobacco (tried cigar at least once during one’s lifetime). Conclusions: These findings underscore the magnitude of the smoking problem among Chinese adult smokers. Urgent measures are needed to effectively control the growing smoking epidemic. Future studies should focus on incorporating the identified factors when designing prevention and intervention strategies among Chinese adult smokers.